PLANNING INFORMATION
Entry Fees
NZ$960.00 per team (non-refundable)
An additional fee of NZ$1,000 applies if an umpire is not provided by the school.
Team withdrawals received after 3 June 2026 will result in loss of the entry fee and a two‑year exclusion from future Zespri AIMS Games.
Payment is due within 7 days of invoice receipt
Invoices will be issued to school accounts managers after entries close
Eligibility
Students must be aged over 10 and under 13 years as of 31 December 2025. For the 2026 Games, eligible birth years are 2013, 2014, and 2015. Birthdates must be provided during registration.
Competition Divisions
Netball 7-Aside Open Division
Maximum of 12 players per team
Minimum of 10 players per team
Teams playing in the Open Division may be made up of all girls.
Where a team is mixed gender, a maximum of three (3) boys may play on court at the same time, provided there is only one boy in each third of the court i.e., (GS,GA) (WA,C,WD) (GK,GD).
Each school may register a maximum of one Netball team, in either the Open or Girls division.
Teams may be made up of any mix of Year 7 and Year 8 students. There are no restrictions on year group ratios — for example, a Netball team may consist entirely of Year 7 students, entirely of Year 8 students, or a combination of both.
Netball 7-Aside Girls Division
Each school may register a maximum of one Netball team, in either the Open or Girls division.
Teams may be made up of any mix of Year 7 and Year 8 students. There are no restrictions on year group ratios — for example, a Netball team may consist entirely of Year 7 students, entirely of Year 8 students, or a combination of both.
Oversubscription
Netball 7-Aside Girls Division
The top 100 placed teams from 2025 will receive automatic entry.
Remaining places will be allocated via random ballot.
Schools will be notified as soon as possible, and no later than 10 June 2026, if their team has not been accepted.
If a school’s Netball 7‑Aside Girls Division entry is balloted out, they will be offered the chance to transfer their team to the Open Division, subject to available capacity.
In the event of oversubscription, participation will be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. No further correspondence will be entered into. If a team is unsuccessful, the registration fee will be refunded.
Following significantly lower team entries in the Open Division in 2025, this division is not expected to be oversubscribed in 2026. Accordingly, no teams in the Open Division will be subject to a ballot.
Seeding
Teams will be allocated into pools using a combination of 2025 seedings and geographic distribution.
Final seedings will be determined at the discretion of the tournament organisers.
No further correspondence will be entered into regarding seedings.
Umpire Requirements
Appointment of Umpires
The organising committee will assign umpires to games. Umpires will not officiate their own team.
Availability
School‑appointed umpires must be available to officiate whenever scheduled.
Minimum Qualification
Each participating team must provide an umpire who holds at least a NNZ Centre Practical qualification. Secondary students with this qualification are encouraged to officiate, provided they have the prior approval of their school principal.
Paid Umpire Option
Schools that require an umpire to be provided will incur an additional fee of NZ$1,000 for the week. This request must be indicated at the time of registration. The organising committee can source a maximum of 70 umpires across both Netball divisions. Should demand exceed this number, allocation of the paid umpire option for schools will be determined by random ballot.
Non‑Submission of Umpire Details
Schools that do not supply umpire details will automatically be invoiced NZ$1,000 and an umpire will be appointed.
Late Requests
Any school contacting the Zespri AIMS Games team to request an umpire after 3 June 2026 will be charged a 50% late umpire registration fee.
Multi-Code Participation
Students may enter more than one sporting code, provided they meet permitted code crossover eligibility.
Students participating in the 2026 Zespri AIMS Games may enter only one team sport. Those registered in Netball are not eligible to compete in 3x3 Basketball, 5-Aside Basketball, Football, Futsal, Hockey, Rip Rugby, Rugby Sevens, or Water Polo.
Please note: No timetable adjustments will be made to accommodate scheduling conflicts between sporting codes. It is the responsibility of each school and the parents/caregivers to ensure that students’ chosen events do not overlap.
Members
Admin Login